colony breeding vs controlled breeding!

[serz]

So as most of you no i colony breed and i have had much sucess with this method and only 2 fatalities.
A month or so ago i purchased 3 breeding cages to try my hand at controlled breeding. I put a pair in that have already and bonded and were looking to nest. So far i have had no eggs and to be honest they both just look misreable. All the female does most of the time is try to escape.
How long does it take for them to settle down in a breeding cage and start producing eggs?

Up to now i have found that the colony breeding is much more natural and the birds seem much happier doing it this way than being forced to in a cage.

What are your views on this?

Thanks

[BudgiesBuddy]

Where are your breeding cages?

[serz]

They are in the shed part of my aviary

[BudgiesBuddy]

Mar 6, 2012 10:30:04 GMT serz said:

They are in the shed part of my aviary

1. I think your bird can hear/see other birds colony breeding.
2. They may have colony bred before.
3. In caged breeding, not all bird bond and some are removed from breeding cages without breeding or even bonding.

[carlshave]

I also Iam trying both this year as I have only colony bred befor, but I thort it was gud for the ones in breeding cages to see and hear the others??

[Bird Junky]

Hi Colony breeding is certainly more popular with budgies than it is with budgie breeders.
Sounds like your hen is trying to join the rest of the flock to breed.
I would abandon selective breeding for this year & pair up your birds in the cages before you start next seasons breeding.
Bring them into condition & then offer them nest box's. Yours B.J.

[carlshave]

Sum times they will Neva settle dwn in cages, I have a similar problem with one of my pairs were the hen was bouncing around all time unsettled and ended up cracking sum of her eggs so had to put her bk into the colony
It's just one of those things I think

[serz]

Think i will give them a week or so and see how they go from there.

To be honest i may just stick with the colony breeding as i think its a lot more natural for them

[carlshave]

Gud idea let us no how u get on, gud luck

[sydney]

I've got a pair in a breeding cage currently on eggs and the male is always trying to escape through the gap in the bars he just stares at me when I see him at it.

[budgiebonkers]

I cage breed an I never have problems with them trying to escape. I think colony breeding is only natural if all the birds are unrelated.

[BudgiesBuddy]

... and if there are no casualties.

[barrieshutt]

Theres only one answer , cage breeding

[stace]

My completely inexperienced take on this is that while colony breeding may seem more natural because it does give the birds a more natural choice of breeding partner, it is still a closed environment, unlike in nature, leading to a number of problems that confinement brings - like limited resources, close quarters, contamination and such.

This may be why the seemingly unnatural environment of a cage provides a more 'natural' environment of space where the birds can claim their necessary resources for themselves.

Does that make sense?

[Marianne Marlow]

Yes Stace it does.

I guess it reduces the stress on the new parents because they don't have to fight off any other potential suitors?